Building a team with NHL’s remaining unrestricted free agents

With Mikhail Grabovski now off the shelves of the free-agent market — and at a bargain price of US$3-million — it might be worth taking a look to see what remains in stock for teams looking to fill holes before training camps open next month. (We will not drag out the tortured shopping metaphor any further. We promise.) Here is a starting lineup built from unrestricted free agents still waiting for a contract, according to capgeek.com.

Starting goaltenderIlya Bryzgalov: Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren called the nine-year contract a “costly mistake” and a “costly move” when discussing why the Flyers decided to use one of their compliance buyouts on Bryzgalov earlier this summer, only two years after he signed a US$51-million deal. And Holmgren was correct, which is not a clause you often see in a sentence about the Flyers and goaltending. Bryzgalov never came close to living up to his salary — his .900 save-percentage was 43rd among his peers last season — but that does not necessarily mean his is incapable. Bryzgalov has been at .920 or better in three NHL seasons (all with the Phoenix Coyotes), and could be worth a look, albeit at a more reasonable price.

(Also available: Tim Thomas, Jose Theodore)

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Starting defenceRon Hainsey, Filip Kuba: It has been suggested that the aggressive tone Hainsey reportedly took with management during the lockout is one reason why the 32-year-old is still without a contract. Hainsey logged an average of 23 minutes a game with the Winnipeg Jets last season, third most on the team among defencemen. Greg Wyshynski, of the Yahoo! blog Puck Daddy, put the question to Hainsey’s agent, Matt Keator: “We’ve had no conversations about that at all.” Kuba, 36, played in 44 games with the Florida Panthers last year, and logged more than 21 minutes a night.

(Also available: Ian White, Ryan Whitney, Hal Gill)

CentreBrad Boyes: A former first-round draft pick (24th overall, in 2000, by Toronto), Boyes is four seasons and three teams removed from the peak years of his career. He was between Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya with the St. Louis Blues in 2007-08, and scored a career-high 43 goals that season. He scored 33 goals the year after that, but has not scored more than 17 since. Boyes is still only 31 years old, and he finished with 35 points in 48 games with the New York Islanders last season — spending time as a winger on a line with John Tavares and Matt Moulson.

(Also available: Kyle Wellwood, Matthew Lombardi)

Left WingMason Raymond: In April, Raymond’s agent, J.P. Barry, was asked by The Vancouver Sun to project how free agency would look for his client. It sounded rosy: “Yes, 27-year-olds with his kind of speed and his kind of offensive ability are usually quite marketable in free agency,” Barry told the paper. Raymond, who earned US$2.275-million with the Vancouver Canucks last year, is a one-time 25-goal scorer who, when healthy, can be effective.

(Also available: Dan Cleary, Simon Gagné, Damien Brunner)

Right WingTeemu Selanne: At the tender age of 43, Selanne has 675 regular season goals and 1,430 points on his resume. He had 12 of those goals and 24 of those points with Anaheim in a lockout-shortened year last season. He has told the Orange County (Calif.) Register to expect a decision on his future next week. “To be honest, I’ve been playing a big role,” he told the Register. “I don’t know if I’m ready to play 10-12 minutes a game.”